Water dispensing device



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 1, 1959 INVENTOR. 05527 1. meme Arrae/vEY A ril 17, 1962 R. L. BARKER 3,030,031

WATER DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Dec. 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. 205527 1 BAeKEe B Arne/v5) ilnited rates 3,03,031 WATER DIEPENSING DEVECE Robert L. Barker, 6220 Mayfair Road, Fort Wayne, ind. Filed Dec. 1, 1959, er. No. 856,430 6 Claims. (till. 239-229) This invention relates to a water dispensing device, and it particularly relates to a device which is adapted to provide varied water-spray patterns and which is adapted for a variety of uses.

Heretofore, when it was desired to water a lawn or flower bed or the like, it was necessary to use a different type of dispensing device in accordance with the type of spray pattern desired. If one desired a circular spray, it was necessary to use a rotating nozzle device; if one desired an oscillating pattern, it was necessary to use an oscillating nozzle device, while if one desired to sprinkle a large linear area, it was necessary to use a perforated hose type of device.

In addition, many of the oscillating or rotary types of sprinklers consisted of various mechanical parts which could and often did go out of order; this was especially true of the adjustment mechanisms,

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the above as well as other disadvantages of the prior devices by providing a water dispensing device which can be easily adjusted for fan-shaped or oscillating movement, rotary movement or linear dispensing as desired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water dispensing device which can be either self-supported or manually manipulated during operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water dispensing device of the aforesaid type which can be mounted for self-supporting operation either vertically or horizontally, or even angularly whereby it can be used not only for gardens, lawns and the like, but also as a fire-prevention sprinkler system in factories, stores, etc.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water dispensing device of the aforesaid type which is almost entirely free of operating mechanical parts which may tend to break or wear out.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water dispensing device of the aforesaid type which is relatively simple in construction and easy to use and adjust.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved water dispensing device, of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly eificient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged, detailed, elevational view showing a mist-forming device held in one of the flexible nozzle tubes.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view on a larger scale taken on line 66 of FIG. 1 but showing the spray unit connected independently to a separate hose.

FIG. 7 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 7-'7 of FIG. 6.

Patented Apr. 17, lQbZ FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 of FIG. 7.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown a water dispensing device, generally designated 14], comprising a straight body tube 12 serving as a Water conduit. This tube 12 is provided with a series of openings along its length, these openings mating with mounttubes 14. The mount-tubes 14 may be connected to the body tube 12 in any desired manner as by threading into the corresponding opening in the body tube. It is also possible to make the mount-tubes l i integral with the body tube 12 if desired.

Connected to each mount-tube 14 is a flexible, resilient nozzle tube 16 made of plastic, rubber or the like. The tubes 16 are attached to their respective mount-tubes M by force fit as shown or in any other desired manner such as by threaded coupling means or the like.

The body tube 12 is provided with a conventional female threaded coupling unit 18 at one end and a male unit 25 at the other end. The female coupling 1% is adapted to mate with a male coupling unit 22 at one end of a hose 24 leading to a source of water while the male coupling 20 is adapted to mate with female coupling unit 26 provided on a tubular extension 28 extending laterally from a separable, directable spray unit 3h. A sealing cap 32 is connected to the body tube 12 by means of a chain 34. This cap 32 is used to close the end of body tube 12 by sealingly fitting over male coupling unit 2t when the coupling 26 and spray unit 30 are not attached.

The body tube 12 is supported on the ground or similar surface with the tubes 16 extending either vertically or at any desired angle by means of support units 36 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). Two support units 36 are illustrated in FIG. 1, however, the number may be varied as necessary in accordance with the length of the tube 12.

Each unit 36 comprises a pair of semi-circular jaw elements 38. Each jaw element 38 has an angular, dependent leg portion 40 and an upstanding clamp portion 42. The leg portions 40 extend in opposite angular directions and each is provided with a laterally-extending foot 44 to act as a base.

The elements of the support units 36 are made of spring metal or the like and the jaws 38 are releasably held clamped around the tube 12 by means of a bolt 46 and a wing nut 48.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, one of the support units 36 is provided with a cylindrical holder 5% which is mounted between the jaws 38 and the legs 4h. This holder 54 is designed to hold a mounting stake 98 (to be hereinafter more fully described).

In the operation of the device, as thus far described, water under pressure enters the tube 12 through hose 24. As the water flows through tube 12, it is forced into the various mount-tubes 14 and then into their respective nozzle tubes 16. As the water leaves the flexible, resilient nozzle tubes 16, it creates a lack of pressure at the open ends of the tubes 16, while the pressure within these tubes 16 is still maintained. This causes a violent recoil of the tubes 16 resulting in a swaying thereof back and forth. This back and forth motion spreads the water over a wide area in the form of rain-like drops.

If desired, a mist-forming device 52 (see FIG. 5) may be releasably inserted into one or all of the tubes 16, as by threading, force-fit or the like. In FIG. 1, the end tubes 16 are shown provided with such mist-formers 52 while the two middle tubes 16 are not.

The mist-former 52 comprises a Y-shaped tubular device having a stem 54 and oppositely-extending angular arms 56. The stem 54 may be threaded to couple with internal threads in tube 16 or may be constructed for force fit into the open end of tube 16. The arms 56 are each provided with angular nozzle openings 58 directing their streams of water into collision with each other.

When the Water streams are ejected through the opposed nozzle openings 58, they collide with each other breaking up the water droplets to form a mist.

In the abovedescribed operation, the spray unit 30 is omitted from its connection with tube 12 and cap 32 is held in sealing position on the end of the tube 12. When it is desired to use the. spray unit 30, the cap 32 is removed and the directable, controllable spray unit 30 is attached as shown in FIG. 1.

The spray unit 30 comprises a housing 60 having an inner chamber 62 bounded at its upper end by spherical passage 64. This spherical passage 64 connects the chamber 62 with an outwardly flaring conical chamber 66 opening upwardly out of the housing 60.

Rotatably positioned in the spherical passage 64 is a hollow ball 68 flattened at opposite upper and lower ends and made integral at its upper end with a straight throwtube 70. The upper end of the throw-tube 70 is connected, in any desired manner, as by threads or the like, to a flexible, resilient nozzle tube 72.

Slidably mounted on throw-tube 70, below tube 72, is a downwardly and inwardly-extending conical plug 74. The upper end of plug 74 is provided with a laterally extending peripheral flange 76. This flange 76 supports a weight 73 off center relative to the axis of the plug 74. The flange 76 also supports a leaf spring 80 connected to the flange 76 by means of a rivet 82 at one end and having its opposite end act as a frictional latch means to hold the plug 74 in vertically adjusted position on the throwtube 78*.

At the lower portion of chamber 62 is a conical valve seat 84 mating with passage 86 in extension 28. The valve seat 84 is arranged to be closed by a conical valve head 88 mounted on a valve stem 90. The stem 90 is threaded and extends through a threaded boss 92 on the housing 60. The outer end of the stem 90 is provided with a knurled knob 94 and an expansion coil spring 96 is wound around the stem 90 outside the housing 60, between the knob 94 and boss 92 to provide thread tension and assure that the valve will not turn from adjustment due to the vibration of tube 72.

On the bottom of the housing 60 is provided. a central threaded opening into which is adapted to be threaded the upper end of a stake or support rod 98. This rod 93 is pointed at its lower end 99 to permit it to be driven into the ground, the surface of which is represented at 100. This stake or rod 98 is the mounting stake which, when not in use, is stored in the cylindrical holder 50 previously described.

The spray unit 30, when attached to the body tube 12, acts to extend the coverage of the device and also provides an additional rocking or rotating coverage. When attached to the body tube 12, the unit 30 does not require any support by the stake 98, and this stake is, therefore, removed and stored in holder 50.

In operation, as water passes through passage 86 and open valve seat 84 under pressure, it passes up through hollow ball 68, tube 70 and through flexible tube 72 to atmosphere. As the water leaves the open end of tube 72, the lack of pressure there, in conjunction with the pressure in the remaining portion of the tube, causes the tube 72 to recoil and sway. As it sways, the off-center weight 78 causes the swaying action to be translated into a rotating action of the tube 7% as it rides around the conical chamber 66. The ball 68 acts to support this rotating action while the plug 74 is in the upper position (shown in FIG. 7).

If it is desired that the tube 72 effect only a rocking rather than a rotating action, it is merely necessary to move the plug 74 down into conical chamber 66'whereby the tube 70 will be prevented from riding around the chamber 65 under the recoil action of tube 72 but this recoil will be translated only into a whipping or rocking action of the tube 72.

If desired, the spray unit 3t} can be uncoupled from body 12 and used with an ordinary garden hose 24 which can be coupled to coupling 26, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In such event, the stake 93 is used to support the unit 30 in the ground while being used.

The amount, distribution and pressure of the water entering the chamber 62, and therefore the effective action of the device, can be varied by varying the inlet through valve seat 84 by means of the valve head 38. When necessary or desirable, the valve head 88 can be used to completely shut off the flow of water into chamber 62.

The spray unit 30 can also be used as a hand operated device by removing the stake 98, attaching the unit to a garden hose or the like, and holding the unit in the hands.

The device described above may also be used for other applications. For example, the body tube 12 and its associated parts can be used in a fire prevention system in factories and the like. In such instance, the tube may be mounted horizontally, vertically or angularly. The tube may be filled with water not under pressure, to prevent heat from damaging the tube and small blow plugs may be put in the ends of the tube which will be blown out when Water pressure is applied from a heat-sensitive valve above the tube head. Such an assembly will act to soak a wide area.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such desc iption is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

l. A liquid dispensing device comprising a substantially rigid body tube forming a liquid conduit, said body tube being open at opposite ends and provided with coupling means at each end, said coupling means at one end being adapted to be coupled to a liquid inlet conduit and said coupling means at the opposite end being associated with a removable sealing cap, said body tube being releasably clamped within at least one support unit, said body tube having a series of apertures along its length, a relatively rigid mount-tube mating with each aperture, and a flexible nozzle tube mounted on each mount-tube, said nozzle tubes being constructed to recoil and rock about their respective mount-tubes under the effects of a pressure differential therein, said coupling means at said opposite end being connected to a spray unit, said spray unit comprising a housing having an inner chamber, a passage connecting said inner chamber with said body tube, a conical valve seat between said passage and said inner chamber, a manually-operable valve having a conical valve head movable toward and away from said valve seat, an outwardly flaring conical opening in said housing, a substantially spherical passage connecting said inner chamber to said flaring conical opening, a relatively rigid tube extending through said conical opening and having a hollow ball portion rotatably positioned in said substantially spherical passage and a flexible, openended tube connected at one end to said relatively rigid tube.

2. A liquid dispensing unit comprising a housing having an inner chamber, an outwardly-flared conical opening at one end of said housing, a substantially spherical passage connecting said inner chamber with said conical opening, a hollow ball rotatably positioned in said substantially spherical passage, a relatively rigid tube extending from said ball and through said conical opening, a flexible tube mounted on said relatively rigid tube, a lateral passage connecting said inner chamber to a coupling means adapted to connect said unit to a source of liquid, a valve seat between said lateral passage and said inner chamber, and a manually-operable valve for opening and closing onto said valve seat.

3. The unit of claim 2 wherein said valve seat and valve are of complementary conical shape.

4. The unit of claim 2 wherein a frusto-conical plug is slidably mounted on said relatively rigid tube, said plug being complementary in size and shape to said conical opening and having means to releasably retain it in slidably adjusted position on said relatively rigid tube, said plug also being provided with a counter weight in oflset relation relative to the axis of said plug.

5. The unit of claim 2 wherein a supporting stake is removably connected to said housing in opposed position to said conical opening.

6. The unit of claim 2 wherein said valve comprises a conical valve head adapted to mate with a conical valve seat, a stem on said valve head, a threaded portion on said stern extending through a threaded opening in a boss on said housing, a knob on said stem outside said housing, and a spring operatively connected to said stem between said knob and said boss.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bryant Mar. 29, Packard Feb. 25, Thomas et al Dec. 26, Brauer Oct. 3, Bacon Jan. 6, Pottenger Mar. 17, Beregh Nov. 4, Doyle Apr. 22, Snyder Aug. 14, Kennedy Mar. 29,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Apr. 3, Germany Apr. 8, 

